Teen Advisory Groups

Teen Advisory Groups (TAGs), also known as Teen Advisory
Boards (TABs), can be a real benefit to teens in your community, and
also to your library.

What are TAGs?

TAGs are groups designed to energize teen programming and
services, allow teens a greater voice at the library, and add to
overall library improvement. They show teens that they’re important
and that they can contribute in a meaningful way; they also address
developmental needs of teens. In addition, they help give librarians
the important teen perspective. You can:

Get valuable ideas for teen programming and collections from
your TAG

Have your TAG members volunteer in the library doing all
sorts of useful and creative tasks

Discuss YA books with teens and have them write up
recommendations for their peers

Have fun and make teens feel comfortable in your library

What a TAG looks like is really up to you. Ages are often start
at 12, 13 or 14 and are capped at 18, and you can start with just a
few interested teens. With those first participants, select a
regular meeting time, such as the first Tuesday of every month from
4:00 to 5:00. One or two staff should supervise, but you do not need
a YA librarian or even a youth services librarian to have a TAG!

How do I attract TAG members?

Talk with the teens that already frequent your library;
they’re probably your best bet for starting up the group

Ask teens who are interested to talk it up to their friends;
peer-to-peer advertising is one of the best marketing tools for
teens

Put up a poster or make an appealing display in your teen
area and put flyers at the circulation and reference desks

Contact your local high school; ask teachers and school
librarians to pass out flyers and ask to speak at an assembly

Ask to put flyers in teen traffic areas, such as stores and
restaurants popular with teens

Contact organizations like churches, Boy and Girls Scouts,
YMCAs, and homeschooling groups and tell them about your TAG;
ask them to spread the word

Write an article for your library’s newsletter and post it
also on your website, Facebook page, and other online media your
library has

Advertise the TAG on computer screen savers

Invite teens and older children who signed up for last
summer’s Summer Reading Program

Send press releases to your local paper

In all of these methods, let teens know that being an active
TAG member will look great on college and job applications; if
they’re especially active, offer to be a reference or write a
letter of recommendation for an application

What does a TAG meeting look like?

As meeting facilitator, agree on ground rules upfront with
the teens’ input. Let teens discuss what’s on their minds and
listen to them. Guide them when necessary.

Have an agenda, but be flexible to give teens time to
explore areas away from the topics at hand. Agenda items may
include selecting graphic novels for the collection, planning a
teen program on blogging, decorating the library for a holiday,
discussing their favorite books, etc.

Have something tactile and fun to do (and useful to the
library), like preparing craft materials for an upcoming
children’s program, putting together a puzzle, stuffing and
labeling envelopes for a big mailing, designing bookmarks, etc.

Have food available, if at all possible! It doesn’t have to
be expensive. To borrow a great idea from Mesa Public Library in
Los Alamos, New Mexico, cook ramen noodles in a crockpot—it’s
cheap, easy, and teens love it! Or, have snacks available for a
small fee, or invite teens to bring in food to share—this could
be snacks or a whole potluck meal. For a treat, ask a local
pizza place to donate pizzas a few times a year.

Ask the teens for agenda and discussion items.

Be prepared for participants to come to meetings irregularly
or late and be flexible.

Play music in the background from your collection.

Once or twice a year, do something fun with the group to let
them know that you and the library appreciate their time and
ideas. Take them on a field trip, throw a pizza party, hold a
costume party on Halloween, etc. Write an article for the local
paper, your website, and your newsletter about the great work
they’ve done.

What can TAG members do in between meetings?

Keep in touch with members via email, a blog, a Facebook
page, Twitter, and/or texting. Suggest the TAG set up a blog or
Facebook page for themselves!

Ask members to volunteer in the library between meetings.
Ask what they’re interested in helping with, but also feel free
to assign them tasks. Be creative with what they can do. Just a
few ideas: they can tutor, decorate the library, shelve books,
make or update a blog or Facebook page, teach classes to other
teens, help with children’s craft programs, read to younger
children, help with book sales, make flyers, help with mailings,
help plan and lead summer reading activities, lead book
discussions, choose YA books and music to purchase, create
library podcasts and vidcasts, conduct a local history project,
create booklists, raise money for the TAG or a charity, plan a
talent show or other special program for all ages, etc.